Scattered Embers
by ice shredder
Summary: Tears pricked the corners of her dusty eyes. It wasn't fair. This wasn't happening. Even now, she expected to wake up and everything would be back to normal. But it wouldn't. Thanks to Mercury and her short fuse, nothing would ever be alright again. Post 3x06. Contains spoilers. Now a canon fic covering Vol 3 with minor Vol 4 speculations. T for safety. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Scattered Embers**

 **Author: ice shredder**

 **Fandom: RWBY**

 **Disclaimer: not mine, all belong to Roosterteeth and the late Monty Oum**

 **Warnings/Spoilers: post 3x06 up to 3x12. Beacon has fallen and Yang reflects on the fateful night that set it in motion. Rewritten to follow canon events in Vol 3 as they come so spoilers, spoilers spoilers! Don't know how many chps I'll make this but here goes!**

Yang Xiao Long stood on the roof of a random apartment complex with no less than four Atlesian troops and Professor Goodwitch as she surveyed the hollowed remains of Beacon Academy a good five blocks away, a place she and Team RWBY and their friends had once called home. Pale lilac eyes, once alight with an all-consuming fire were now as dead and lifeless as the school that at one point was her pride and joy.

She took in the sorry sight of the once proud, prestigious academy. Shattered columns lay on their sides. The pristine white courtyard was overrun by weeds and dirt and the ever-present Grimm tracks. Blown out glass-like broken teeth-littered the grounds where the dorms once held thousands of students in their walls with starry-eyed dreams of making the world a safer place. And the sharp tower pinnacle that was once Ozpin's office was broken off. He vanished without a trace shortly before the CCT went down, nobody knowing where he went. And since Yang wasn't in the mood to entertain wild-assed theories she assumed the man was missing or dead.

The rest of the teachers who had survived the invasion were back in the Safe Zone with General Ironwood on the outskirts of Vale defending the refugees who'd been unable to escape.

The vast complex in front of the young woman however was anything but deserted. The Grimm wasted no time making it their new abode-especially that Great Dragon who sat perched on the top of the broken tower-the strange paralysis Ruby had inflicted on it long since worn off-and the surrounding town of Vale.

Ever since That Night at the 40th Vytal Festival when she'd broken Mercury Black's leg in an act of self-defense the once peaceful world blew apart and Darkness swept in on snarling teeth and claws ripping everything to bloody shreds. Beacon had been overrun and hundreds of innocent civilians slaughtered she'd been plagued by nightmares of the White Fang and the ensuing Grimm invasion. That Bull Faunus stabbing Blake through her gut. Cutting off her arm, depriving her of her weapon-

Yang shook her head, a bitter smile playing over her chapped lips.

It was pathetic to say the least.

 _What did I hope to accomplish coming here in the first place? There's no more classes. No more normal. No more parties with my friends. None of us will graduate as planned. No more girls nights. No more gossiping about cute, sexy boys. No more group training sessions. No more school dances. No more random food fights._

"Ms. Xiao Long? Are you all rig-?"

"I'm fine Professor." _Liar._ Her mind hissed but the ex-brawler put the voice on ignore. It wouldn't do any good if she attracted the Grimm's attention. "Let's go."

She turned and walked away without a backward glance, Goodwitch and the soldiers right on her heels. Without a partner or a team this trip had been totally pointless. And with everyone split apart in the aftermath of the infamous Battle of Beacon it was suicidal to take on multiple Grimm alone. Especially since that damned Dragon kept emitting a huge negative signal attracting even _more_ of the hated creatures. The Little Sun Dragon of one of Beacon's premiere teams refused to stay at a place that haunted her every waking thought.

Shortly after the fall of Beacon everyone was scattered to the wind, like the rose petals drifting off her little sister's cape. And since the CCT had been shut down thanks to the Fall Maiden Cinder, she hadn't had contact with her team for nearly three months. No one wanted to return to the place of nightmares.

Besides, it was partially her fault that Vale was a deserted ghost town and a mass grave to begin with.

Yang sighed as her feet carried her to the edge of the roof and waited for Glynda to work her magic. With her right arm no more than a bandaged stump, the former brawler lost all sense of balance. Not to mention she wasn't as strong as she once was. And with the Grimm slowly overtaking the city it wouldn't be long before they encroached on the Safe Zone and overran it. And they would in time. A bitter reminder of the dark, hostile world they now lived in.

"Brace yourself, Ms. Xiao Long. We've got to get back."

Yang stared straight ahead, unblinking.

"Can we swing by Junior's nightclub first?"

Glynda shot the subdued blond beauty an incredulous look.

"Why, what on earth for child? That's right in the center of Grimm territory."

"I wanna raid his liquor shelves."

Glynda pursed her lips, ever the severe schoolmarm.

"Absolutely not Ms. Xiao Long. It's too dangerous. I'm sure General Ironwood has some in the Safe Zone. Besides," she glanced at the girl's arm stub. "You're in no condition to fight."

Yang grunted. _Don't remind me hag._ She thought as the woman's Semblance overtook her and the next thing she knew was the sensation of flying through the heavy grey skies. The same color that matched her mood for the past six months.

 _I just wanna go home. Stupid Dad telling me to face my demons. Hah, like HE'S one to talk-_

The sharp report of a high-powered rifle accompanied by an aborted growl startled the blond out of her angry thoughts. Just in time to watch a Beowolf fall to its death five stories below and evaporate.

"Please keep your emotions in check Ms. Xiao Long," Glynda's calm, yet firm voice pierced through the thick, depressive fog clouding her mind. "Your father will have a stroke if I don't return you in one piece."

Yang tried to take the woman's advice but it was hard. There was no stopping the memory reel replaying the tragic events of That Night through her mind on overdrive.

Taunting her.

Mocking her.

She heard as clearly as if it'd just happened, the sickening _crack_ as Ember Celica connected with a vulnerable kneecap. Heard Mercury's pained cry. Saw him clutch his awkwardly bent limb and Emerald rush to his side, crimson eyes glaring. The collective booing of the stadium crowd. The sight of Atlesian shock troops surrounding her guns drawn ordering her to stand down. But it was the collective stunned shock on her teammates's faces right after the video replay showing her-along with everyone else-quite a different sight than what she experienced that haunted her the most.

The aftermath had been quite a chaotic blur. After extensive review of the footage, she'd been barred from the tournament via executive decision by the board and General Ironwood himself. She recalled being led off the stage in thick cuffs to a Bullhead waiting at the north end of the stadium, but not before she watched Emerald run alongside the medics as they rushed Mercury out of the building on a stretcher, never once leaving his side.

 _Amity Coliseum - 6 months ago_

 _"Please, somebody help him!_ _"_

 _Yang watched in stunned disbelief and shock, surrounded by Atlesian guards at the dark-skinned girl crying out in desperation as she practically cradled the taller man in her hands._

 _"Can you do something?!"_

 _She knew it was bad when the men exchanged urgent glances, one of them saying they needed to get him to a hospital right away. Her heart sank to her toes as she saw Mercury grimace in pain as the medics lifted him off the stage before rushing towards a waiting ambulance._

 _She tried once more to plead her case. "You don't understand! He attacked **me** I swear-!"_

 _"Stow it!" One of the soldiers snapped. "You've already caused enough of a scene!"_

Those nine words were an icy dagger to her heart. And they were the beginning of the end of life as everyone had known it.

Tears pricked the corners of her dusty eyes. It wasn't fair. She gritted her teeth as the mental onslaught continued. _It wasn't fair dammit!_ This wasn't happening. Even now, she expected to wake up and everything would be back to normal. She'd be back in her dorm room with her beloved team: laughing, crying, practicing, and studying together. Her body would be whole. Pyrrha and Penny would be alive. Zwei would bark and make his friendly rounds to each of the girls. Blake would be hunched up in her bunk, back pressed against the wall, trying to create space between her and the affable Corgi...

But it wouldn't. Thanks to Mercury and her short fuse, _nothing_ would ever be alright again.

She remembered being escorted from the stage like a criminal under intense booing and whisked to her dorm room where she was instructed to sit down, keep quiet and not move until General Ironwood arrived to decide her fate.

Flying through the air suspended by nothing but Glynda's telekinesis with a brittle wind skirling through the abandoned downtown sector, Yang tasted the bitter poison of her public humiliation and subsequent maiming even stronger sitting in her bedroom back at Patch than when she'd been detained in her old dorm in Beacon.

Bad enough she attacked Mercury in front of the entire world. She spent every waking moment since That Night running through every possible scenario, wondering how she should've handled the situation differently. She was a living shock absorber for Dust's sake! _I could've easily dodged that. Or absorbed it. I could've taken that hit!_ But she considered not a single one of those options. Her quick temper and pride cost her far more than the match. It cost her an arm. Ruined her good name. And once that was gone, it was impossible to restore.

The second she applied force to the problem it backfired in her face. And the worst part? She still believed she was innocent. Even her friends backed her up. Well...it took a bit to convince Blake she'd never hurt Mercury on purpose, but those moments of doubt ached like a festering wound. But the world had drawn their own conclusions and her life would never be the same. She'd carry a tarnished reputation for the rest of her life.

She understood _now_ or at least grasped the edges of, that she and everyone else involved had been pawns in an elaborate scheme. But six months ago she'd just been an ignorant thrillseeker with the simple desire to travel and save people along the way. To Yang, hunting was an added bonus. It wasn't her entire life. Not like Ruby's. Her sister was a born Huntress with the dreamy optimism to go with it.

But in the end, all their combined efforts amounted to nothing. There were no grand heroics on the battlefield. The tidal wave of Grimm hordes proved too much for the fledgling hunters. Soon it was every man for himself and most of the visiting teams who simply traveled to participate in the tournament-along with thousands of innocents-were maimed or killed.

Ironwood's interrogation with her and the rest of her team had been a special kind of painful. Squeezing her eyes shut Yang remembered how fiercely Ruby and Weiss jumped to her defense. And how much it hurt when Blake...her own partner doubted her story...

 _Beacon Academy - 6 months ago_

 _"He attacked me! I swear!"_

 _Ironwood's boots clumped over the carpet, gloved hands behind his back._

 _"Camera footage and millions of people say otherwise."_

 _"But Yang would never do that!" Weiss protested._

 _Ruby stood up echoing the Ice Queen's statement._

 _"Yeah!"_

 _She sighed, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes. No matter how hard they defended her, Ironwood wouldn't allow this to slide. Public image was everything, and he would rather quell the people's anger than give her-a well-known hot-head-the benefit of the doubt._

 _Her suspicions were confirmed when the General gave his speech on battle adrenaline and how it clouded one's judgement, inducing someone to see things that simply weren't there. Stress hallucinations brought on by excess battle energy._

 _"But I wasn't-"_

 _"That's ENOUGH!" His sharp tone instantly cut off any more protests. Then it softened. "Whether it was an assault or an accident, the sad truth is the world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you...that you're disqualified."_

She hadn't seen Ironwood since he left her under military lockdown.

The last time she'd seen Qrow alive was two hours before the first wave hit the edge of the city and again before he disappeared God knows where after she'd been rushed from the hospital back to her childhood home. She wished he was still here, giving her advice hoping against hope he'd survived the initial attack on Vale. But her scroll was next to useless. She couldn't make calls abroad thanks to the CCT being down. So she only made local calls or texts if she really needed to.

She recalled telling him about seeing her mother Raven, and the way he stiffened when she dropped that bombshell. And she didn't forget how sad, and pitying he sounded when he talked about his twin. And how serious it was when he told her that the woman was dangerous.

It didn't take long for an already crappy situation to go from bad to nightmarish. Reports of Grimm sightings soon flooded the 'Net. She remembered standing by the window looking out over the darkened grounds as Cinder delivered her speech via scroll in the brightly lit dorm room alone-with only Zwei for company-listening to the emergency sirens' eerie wails and feeling a cold knot of dread forming in the pit of her stomach.

The Grimm were coming.

Thanks to her actions at Amity, the monsters had been spotted making their way down from Mountain Glenn and through Forever Fall. They wound up hitting the edge of Beacon not too long after that. And it spelled doom for everyone who dared to challenge the creatures head on.

Beacon had been the only structure standing between the Grimm and the rest of Vale. The school got overrun, not from a shortage of military backup, but a lack of preparation. Civilian casualties went through the roof and the Grimm had a field day.

The ensuing battle was nothing but chaos. Most of the teams weren't prepared for the vicious onslaught that barreled down like a dark rapids towards Beacon. The mock violence of the arena suddenly erupted into a brutal battle to the death out of nowhere.

Teams were torn apart. Bodies fell under the relentless deluge of evil creatures. Yang found herself separated from her friends in the initial stages of the bloodbath when she went to the docks to fight. There was no choice. The bruiser fled Beacon, weeping for her comrades as she went off to battle Grimm and White Fang alike. She chanced a quick peek back and almost felt her heart stop at the sight of Ursai and Beowolves stampeding through the courtyard unchecked, swarming over the buildings and dorms, Nevermores shrieking like banshees as they dive-bombed Ozpin's tower. Screams and cries of wounded, dying soldiers and hunters alike echoed in her ears as she fought through the boiling cauldron of chaos and death.

Now here she was, six months later without Ember Celica and her right arm. A bitter, vengeful shell had replaced her former flirtatious self with no friends, no family and no team. With Vale cut off from the rest of the world due to Cinder knocking out the CCT, there was no way to get in contact with them if they were still alive.

Not like she really gave a damn. Let them pretend they were heroes. Let them cling to their foolish hope that they could slay the monsters. Let them believe they could beat back the encroaching darkness with nothing more than the simple faith of their souls. Pyrrha tried. Oh, she tried all right. She'd played the part perfectly.

But in the end it was all in vain. There was nothing left of her to prove she existed.

Beacon was gone.

Vale was utterly destroyed.

And her friends and family-including herself-were no more than scattered embers of a dying flame.

 **TBC...?**

 **Yeah, so that got darker than I expected but eh, this is my attempt to make sense of a very confusing and ominous cliffhanger. Enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think! Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year peeps! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, this has officially become a mini fic. Not sure I wanna go 40+ chps with this thing, but maybe no more between 10-15 chps for this one. I dunno. These kind of fics tend to take a life of their own, and I don't want any of this material to interfere with my other RWBY fic** **Crimson King** **(which is close to hitting 30+ chps O.O;;) so I'll try to make this more post-Grimm invasion speculative Vol 4 and beyond. So this'll be more dark and gritty and since Yang's got an uncensored mouth-still waiting for her to start whipping out the big girl words on the show, lol-there's gonna be language and adult themes because this is YANG for crying out loud. Also this work assumes Yang struggling with depression and the decision to receive a bionic arm designed like Ember Celica so she can feel useful again. That part is pure speculation.**

 **Anyway big shout out to Lady-Nevermore 13 for providing the plot bunny for this thing. That being said, let's jump right in. :)**

...

Yang settled into the cargo hold of the airship with Professor Goodwitch seated across from her, blinking in the drab grey of the dawn sky. The soldiers took up positions around the doors, gun muzzles dipped toward the floor as it took off for the Safe Zone.

Stoic and silent, she allowed her lilac eyes to grow unfocused. The Bonecracking Bimbo-one of the more derogatory names the world at large dubbed her after the infamous kneecapping incident and a nickname she hated with the passion of a thousand fiery suns-stared blankly at the metal cargo door, thankful it was devoid of color. She didn't bother correcting it because she could care less what a bunch of sheep thought.

 _Jesus what a mess. Everything's shot to hell._

Normally she'd follow up with even more bad puns but that required her to think and be happy about life and right now, it hurt way too much. Not to mention, it was a part of her old self and Yang wanted nothing to do with that version of herself anymore.

"How are you feeling, Ms. Xiao Long?"

 _Please shut up Goodwitch._ Yang thought as she leaned her head against the cargo hold. _I'm not in the mood for you to play shrink._

"Like absolute hell. End of story."

The way she said it made Glynda raise an eyebrow. _The child needs help. She can't keep going on like this._

"Care to elaborate?"

Yang shot her former instructor a frozen glare, one that Weiss would've been proud of had she been there to witness it.

"No. Don't ask me again."

Yang's mouth shut like a box, showing a verbal and mental efficiency she'd been forced to adopt the hard way ever since her brutal encounter with Adam Taurus in Beacon's cafeteria. Nothing excited her anymore. Her dream of becoming a huntress was in shambles, the desire to travel the world seeking adventure brutally beat into submission.

The memories of taunting Grimm, whooping it up as she killed the beasts was nothing more than a painful sore spot. It was something the old Yang would've done and she was determined not to go back to that person if she could help it. The old Yang had been too soft. Too trusting. Too _caring._ Too _reckless._ Too _cocky._

And far too vain, especially over trivial things. Like her top-heavy chest or her stupid _hair._

Not anymore.

 _I didn't want to come back to Vale. But noooo, stupid DAD thinks I need to start getting back on my feet. Prolly cause he's afraid I might kill myself if he leaves my room._ The old Yang wouldn't have dared entertain such dark, vicious thoughts. She never would've imagined becoming a cripple, her career ended before it even began.

All thanks to a sick chain of horrible events that led to all out war in the city and Beacon's grounds.

But in the bleak kill or be killed new world everyone found themselves living in, self-doubt was a luxury nobody could afford. Neither was mercy. Or kindness. Or love. She'd experienced firsthand-along with the rest of the student body-what happened to those who clung to noble ideals and it wasn't a pretty sight.

Yang clenched her fist together a trickle of gold aura briefly forming around her knuckles before fading out. She didn't have the energy to summon any more because actual effort was needed. She didn't feel like providing any.

Yang didn't mind the silence. Sitting in her room was easier to deal with than actual humans anymore. Or Faunus for that matter. Blake doubting her innocence and running away had cut her to the quick and if she was being honest, partially responsible for fracturing Team RWBY into pieces.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen, ETA to the Safe Zone in less than five minutes. I repeat, less than five minutes outside the Safe Zone."_

A ghost of a smile curled Yang's lip. If Goodwitch was telling the truth, there was alcohol to be had. And she'd be damned if anything kept her from drinking some.

As she sat cross-legged on the airship's cold, metal floor cruising over the deserted streets of Vale, Yang couldn't help but recall how surreal the landscape still looked. Abandoned shops and apartments with doors creaking in the breeze and shattered windows, seemed to glare accusingly at the eighteen year old. _You did this stupid girl._ They seemed to say as she traveled past them in midair via Glynda's Semblance. _This is your fault._

Torn newspapers and books lay scattered over the pavement. Partial to fully destroyed homes and businesses had been reduced to rubble with steel bits and the ever-present carpet of glass littered the empty streets. And the most ominous was the sight of dried bloodstains painting the streets and buildings a rusted brown. Vale's innards forcibly ripped out and splattered everywhere, with the skeletons of thousands crumbling in the Grimm infested city.

 _You killed us._ The mummified bodies accused. _Why? Why did you attack the boy? We're dead because you were seeing things. Was it worth our lives? Well? **WAS IT?!**_

Yang pursed her lips as she tried to block out the images of debris piles and the dusty remains of dead citizens she and her friends failed to save.

No. Don't think about the streets running red with blood. Don't think about the screams. Don't think about the terror, the panic, the sirens wailing, the fires, all the death...so much _death-_

 _-and destruction..._

 _-and despair..._

She gritted her teeth. _If_ _I ever see you Mercury, you are SO deader than dead-_

Yang sucked in a deep breath, exhaling heavily through her nose. _Calm down._ As much as it pained her, Yang knew she couldn't pin the blame on the devious kicker for her poor choices. _I have to t_ _ake responsibility for my part in this disaster. Accident or not...hundreds of people lost their lives and I lost my arm because I got careless._

She didn't think about how Ruby would've pleaded with her to let it go, that she didn't want anyone to die, especially the tall silver-haired man. Her little sister had looked up to Merc as the cool older brother she never had. That and she'd greatly admired him as a fellow warrior and his insane fighting skills.

But that was back when they'd all been blinded to the truth. In blissful ignorance, Yang-the old happy, carefree one-had been taken in by his cocky attitude, cool confidence and that wicked smirk. She wondered if he'd survived the invasion then shook the stray thought off. It didn't matter. The damage was already done.

The new, hardened present-day Yang was done caring what happened to everyone. They left her behind. Again.

So.

Don't feel.

Emotions were poison.

They'd gotten her arrested.

Cut off her arm.

Caused friends and family to abandon her.

Left her with no one but her loser father who still clung to the memories of his two wives.

Ice flooded her veins.

 **TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Safe Zone - outskirts of Vale**

After what seemed an eternity Yang felt the airship touch down in the outskirts of Vale. But not before passing more wrecked buildings and debris. The ramp lowered and the first figure greeting her world-weary gaze was none other than Ironwood himself.

One of the few sectors whose buildings remained fairly intact during the initial invasion-despite the occasional crater and broken window here and there the Safe Zone was guarded around the clock by Atlesian troops, Paladins and surviving huntsmen in the immediate area. Yang couldn't help but feel this place was paradise compared to a ruined Beacon brought to its knees in humiliation and despair.

The General strode forward to meet the small party, his stern face full of concern over her well-being.

"Welcome back, Ms. Xiao Long. Glynda. I'm glad you're both safe."

Yang grunted then cleared her throat and cut right to the chase.

"Ya got any booze lyin' around Ironwood? I'd like to take some home with me."

As she asked the question, the blond was acutely aware she'd never get a chance to party with Flynt or Neon over drinks. Not that it mattered. Junior's club was long overrun and its owner either dead or missing. No chance of going back to interrogate them over her estranged mother's whereabouts. If Qrow's reaction had been any indication of his relationship with his sister-or lack thereof-then she'd have no more luck finding the elusive woman now as she did back when she was a child.

But Yang was desperate. She needed help. She needed to track Raven down and shake some answers out of her mother. Not like the woman was going to give them up without a fight. Fine by her. A good fistfight never hurt to clear the air.

 _Enough._ She couldn't afford to entertain childish thoughts anymore. Her arms were her weapons and one of them was gone. That would've been the old Yang's reaction and she was dead. Besides, she wasn't sure if she even _wanted_ to rejoin the war.

So.

Don't go there.

Ironwood beckoned for her to fall in beside him as they walked to his temporary command center located in the middle of the Zone.

"Of course, but shouldn't you clear it with Taiyang first?"

She shot him a hard glare.

"Nope. I haven't run anything by him for over ten years and I'm not starting now."

Ironwood sighed.

"Follow me. You can stay overnight. I'll let Taiyang know you'll be home sometime tomorrow." Yang shrugged. The girl's indifference troubled Ironwood more than he cared to let on. Such a bright energetic soul reduced to smoldering embers. He led the way to the temporary cafeteria on the main floor of the ersatz command center, an abandoned hospital past military personnel and refugees alike.

Yang watched as he walked behind the stainless steel bar where a shelf held a random assortment of alcohol and cocktails, the florescent lights gleaming off his double set of stars pinned to his collar.

"What would you like Ms. Xiao Long?"

She rattled her order off as if reading by rote.

"Strawberry Sunrise. No ice."

Within a minute James Ironwood set the glass full of Sunrise in front of her. Slowly Yang balanced her stub against the bar, gingerly grasping the temperate glass with her flesh and blood hand, then knocked back the first shot. It fizzed all the way down and she polished the drink off in seconds.

 _Slower, Xiao Long. Don't go on a rampage. This stuff's hard to come by. Once it's gone, it's gone._

She took her time with the second round, gazing around her new surroundings. It sure wasn't Junior's deserted nightclub that once was the rage of the town, speakers thumping sick beats and the rotating fixtures flashing red and white lights over the packed dance floor, partygoers bumping and grinding the nights away.

Eighteen months since she'd first stepped foot into the place. _Has it really been that long?_ To Yang it was a lifetime ago. She remembered punching Junior through a column shattering it instantly, wasting his henchmen with a fast and furious barrage of punches and kicks. The memory of man-handling the Malachite twins before having to deal with their boss' batzooka before punching him through the window of the upper floor, shattering every pane of glass.

In the end, she never got what she came for, except Ruby asking what she was doing there. Her response of it being a long story.

 _Oh nothing much Rubes, except for excessive property damages and bodily harm._

That's what she really meant by it being a 'long story'.

Suddenly images of That Night when she kneecapped Mercury made an unwelcome surge in her memory banks. There was no undoing her actions. The cameras had captured what appeared to be a ruthless, unprovoked attack against a defenseless student and nothing she or her friends said or did would ever fix that. Never mind the fact she along with her friends going into the burning city of Vale to try and stem the black tide of Grimm and White Fang terrorists.

Her reputation-along with the hunting community in general-was tarnished beyond repair. It was even worse for Pyrrha, who accidently tore Penny Polendina apart with her Polarity and exposed her to a shocked global audience to be an android. She'd been labeled a murderer. Nobody wanted anything to do with two women the public at large perceived to be monsters.

But it didn't matter.

Pyrrha was dead and it was _all her fault-_

 _Damn it._ Forget drinking slow. Yang threw the glass back and chugged. Just as soon as the pink liquid hit the back of her throat she was holding it out for a refill in almost the same motion.

Ironwood frowned.

"Ms. Xiao Long I think you've-"

"Don't. Just...don't." She hated how dull her voice sounded but she needed more alcohol. Thankfully the man understood and poured her another glass, albeit a tad more slowly than the first two times.

 _Don't think._

 _It hurts too much._

No wonder Qrow was always drunk. The demons of past failures were never fully exorcised, no matter how much time elapsed. And now his niece was following in his footsteps, trying to create a buzz that would mute the slithery voices and distorted faces that prowled across her waking mind.

But the painful memories began flooding her mind over the blissful caress of the sweet alcohol.

Mercury's shaggy silver bangs swept over a sneering angular face, surged front and center.

 _"Hey Blondie. Ya miss me?"_

Yang gritted her teeth as his smarmy voice assaulted her mental highlight reel.

 _"Yanno, if you were less of a crazed top-heavy butch this whole end-of-the-world thing could've been avoided. And don't EVEN get me started on that loser sister of yours."_

"Shut up," Yang grumbled, halfway through her third glass. Completely forgetting Ironwood was in the room. "Shut _up._ "

 _"Heh. It's a little late for that sweetheart. Or was it_ _ **sir?"**_

"I said SHUT UP!" Yang screeched at the phantom that materialized in the cafeteria's door halfway across the room. "You're not real! This is all in my head!"

Merc's pale-skinned face suddenly lost its false charm, twisting into something cold and ruthless and evil.

 _"Just like when you shot me in front of the world?"_

Yang felt the embers of her old fiery self begin to stir. She raised the glass with shaking fingers, half-full with Sunrise. "You _attacked_ _ **me!"**_

The silver bastard had the audacity to flash his trademark smirk. _"Yeah...keep tellin' yourself that Blondie."_

Yang ground her teeth, struggling to keep her temper in check.

"Ms. Xiao Long! It's okay. Please calm down!" Ironwood clasped the girl's left shoulder alarmed at her outburst. Guilt assailed his mind. He knew without being told which mental demon she was arguing with and it made him sick to his stomach.

But Merc didn't give her a chance to recover.

 _"Seriously though. If your retarded sister spent more time actually studying PEOPLE instead of creaming her tights over weapons, she might've been able to do something when the invasion hit."_

Yang grasped the edge of the bar with trembling fingers. Unable to stop the relentless pounding in her skull, she willed the alcohol to take effect. Anything to silence the mocking voice of her nightmares.

 _Ruby WAS able to do things!_ Yang wanted to scream at the kicker. _She did more than you'll ever give her credit for!_

Except in the end, it was too late to do any good. The Grimm had kept coming and coming and _coming-_

"You did this you dirty bastard," she hissed, keeping lilac eyes trained on the bar counter's smooth stainless steel surface. "Ruby...Ruby _admired_ you...looked up to you _both!_ We _all_ did!"

Mercury began to cross the cafeteria's linoleum floor, his metallic gait carefully measured. Methodical. Calculated. Just like everything else he did. A wolfish grin split his sharp features as he came closer.

 _"See that's where you're wrong Blondie. A bond has to exist in order for betrayal to work. And we were never yer friends."_

Yang felt her emotions swirling. Anger, betrayal, _rage._ All bad. Wishing the alcohol would kick in faster, just to shut this monster up. But he wasn't done taunting her just yet.

 _"Anyway, ya_ _shoulda seen the look she had on her when Nikos shredded that dumb hunk of metal wearing a girl's face. She cried over a stupid_ _ **android.** An ANDROID Blondie. It was hilarious._ _But seriously though, don't blame me for your rage issues. Or the fact you're way too much dude for your own good."_

That did it. Yang snapped her head up, eyes burning crimson fire.

 **"THAT'S IT!"**

She snatched up the glass and hurled it at the teen's smirking form.

The tumbler met nothing but empty air.

It smashed on the ground. And with it, Yang jerked out of Ironwood's grasp sinking to her knees, panting for air as she fought back tears for the second time in twenty four hours. Hating the fact this man was permanently embedded in her mind and no amount of alcohol in the world would drive him out.

She didn't notice Ironwood scoop her into his arms and rush her out of the room, distress creasing his lined brow.

 **TBC...**

 **Heh, I might be enjoying Yang's mental torment a little too much. Merc's gonna drive her crazy and not in the good way.**

 **Wow guys, 2 reviews, 6 faves and 10 follows in the first day! I'm truly blown away by how much y'all support this little rabbit hole I've fallen into, lol. If even the premise of this plays out on the show, I'm gonna freak out. Cause tbh, I'm not sure where this is going myself.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. EPISODE 10 WAS EPIC AND CHAOTIC AND TEAMS ARE SEPARATING, VALE AND BEACON'S GETTING OVERRUN AND THE FILLER TEAMS JUST MIGHT BITE IT IN THE NEXT TWO EPS-CAUSE THERE'S NO DUST RESERVES IN VALE A LA ROMAN-AND CINDER'S GUNNING FOR AMBER'S POWER AND IT'S FREAKING ME OUT HOW EERILY WELL EVERYTHING'S FALLING IN LINE WITH CHP 1 OF 'SCATTERED', OMG-**

 **Ahem. Basically I don't want the heroes pulling out last minute saves like they did last year. I want the opening song to actually play out in its entirety and thanks to that wyvern grimmcubator, things just might swing in the villains favor this time. Only two eps till the finale folks, just make sure ya hold on to something, lol. :P Minor spoilers for Vol 3 Ep 10.**

 **Anyway just curious if y'all want me to keep going on this thing. Just let me know either way.**

 **Enjoy!**

 _ **Beacon Academy - 6 months ago**_

 _Fire._

 _Smoke._

 _Screams._

 _Gunblasts._

 _Grimm and White Fang working in tandem, chaos everywhere._

 _Blood. So much blood, the school grounds and streets of Vale ran red and the death toll kept climbing-_

 _The CCT tower lay in ruins, the underground vault completely destroyed. Fires raged unchecked across the giant campus smoke billowing like a furnace, the main building under assult from seemingly endless hordes of darkness._

 _Outside the teams' valiant efforts to hold the Grimm at bay suddenly took a drastic turn for the worst. The ground shook beneath their shoes._

 _Next thing everyone knew the situation turned from bad to worse in a matter of minutes. Before the defenders could catch their collective breath a new terror appeared in the burning night sky._

 _A giant Grimm dragon-looking like it just burst out of the abyss-flew straight towards the beleaguered trainee Huntsmen and Huntresses, dropping globs of black mist that swirled before forming into fully-matured Grimm. The second wave was stronger and the kids soon found themselves pushed back towards the dorms not a scant distance away from their backs. Soon after that, they noticed their Dust supplies were running dangerously low._

 _Someone-Reese? Neon?-began shouting for more Dust, which received a disheartening response. The others were low as well and couldn't spare a single drop, which caused the girls to start panicking. Both their weapons relied on raw Dust to function and without it they were just a regular hoverboard and a pair of depowered glow-chucks that packed no punch._

 _Even Velvet's magic shapeshifting camera had a limit on how many weapons she could summon. They all depended on her mage abilities and aura both of which were dangerously close to empty. It took time to build the arsenal inside the box she carried and she'd spent almost all of the weapons she'd stealthily copied with her camera on the first wave._

 _Eventually the Grimm began to beat the defenders back. Desperate, some of the students tried to raise the professors on their scrolls but there was no answer. The feeling was all the same._

 _Dust._

 _Dust._

 _We need more Dust._

 _But there wasn't any to be found. Not in Beacon or in all of Vale._

 _Then Cinder burst out of the underground vault, collapsing the CCT tower. Even from a distance the glow of the Fall Maiden's power could be seen for miles as she levitated thirty feet above the ground, fire burning in her demonic amber eyes._

 _And that's when things began to go south._

 _Fast._

...

 **Safe Zone temporary HQ Vale outskirts - present day, morning**

Yang cracked an eye open, blinking a few times to clear the cobwebs and the world's biggest hangover. Grey light filtered through the single window of what used to be a patient's ward turned dormitory.

 _A dream. It's just a dream._

She instantly became aware that her bed was stiff. Uncomfortable from the feel of it. _Weiss' gonna have a stroke if we don't start getting ready for class-_

The stillness of the room unnerved the ex-brawler. Then it hit her. This was a hospital bed. She wasn't back in her dorm bunk. Beacon and Vale were in ruins.

Weiss wasn't here.

Or Blake.

Or Ruby.

Or _any_ of her friends.

She pushed up onto her elbows, allowing the dreary light to reveal she'd fallen asleep with sterile white covers pulled to her chin. Wincing at the dull ache in the stump of her right arm reminding the brawler of the brief visit to Beacon the night before.

 _Ugh. How much did I drink last night?_

Stretching her legs, Yang felt her legs still encased in her worn brown boots. She craned her neck, trying to focus on the room's light beige paint job but her blurry eyes weren't having it. Apparently she'd been too smashed to remember how she got here to begin with, but it took a lot of strong drink to silence Mercury's mocking voice after all.

Not like anyone would notice.

Yang decided to lean her aching head against the hospital issued pillow. No sense in stumbling back to her dad smashed out of her skull. But the second she crossed her home's threshold it was a shower and back into her brown pajamas in her own bed, so she could resume staring out the window and wondering when the universe decided to align against her. She wished she could become a functional drunk like Qrow. Must be real nice to drink away your problems and slowly kill yourself at the same time.

Out of the blue, the memory of playing video games with her uncle popped into focus. She listened to her old self brag over Torchwick's capture with Ruby and stopping crime. Then Qrow's gravelly voice penetrated through her alcohol-fuzzed brain.

 _"Sure, ya might act like huntresses but yer not THINKING like one. They don't give out medals for almost."_

Yang released a regretful sigh. _I wish Rubes and I didn't laugh him off. We were too cocky. Maybe...maybe if we didn't spend so much time patting ourselves on the back...we could've done_ _ **something.**_ _We were acting like immature kids, full of piss and vinegar. We were so full of BS we didn't see the invasion coming until it was too late to do any good._

Like how she let her anger and wronged pride and crazy Semblance get the better of her when she kneecapped Mercury. If she was being honest, he was the first person in a long time that put her on the ropes and succeeded in flooring her during a fight. And it was also the reason she hated facing off against kick specialists. It was one of the very few weaknesses her Semblance could not compensate for. Sure it could take massive amounts of damage, but she felt everything after a battle was over. Yet another thing it couldn't do: increase her defensive capabilities.

She remembered the furious barrage of silvery missiles dive-bombing her prone form and raising her forearms to cover her face. What she hadn't been expecting was how _dense_ the vapor-like wind bullets actually _were._ Thinking back on Coco and Yatsuhashi's doubles match, she thought it was a harmless steam attack. But in reality it was a deadly aura drainer. It was like getting pummeled by liquid gas.

She recalled lying on the cold metal stage and feeling the rapid fire bombs pummel her body relentlessly, feeling her aura drop at an alarming rate. Feeling the breath knocked out of her lungs before she gave into her fiery Semblance on instinct. Strength flooded her limbs. She rushed the kicker, throwing punch after punch like a wild woman, wanting nothing more than to beat him into the ground until he no longer moved.

Sitting in a generic patient's bed like some damn invalid, Yang remembered the surge of satisfaction when she hit Merc with a powerful double-fisted punch to his chest that dropped his aura to zero. That should've been a warning bell. Mercury Black was one of the best fighters she'd ever come across, a true prodigy of his craft. It was almost like he _let_ himself get beat. She cringed when she saw her old self raise an arm and gave the cheering crowd a victorious fistpump. Heard her sister and friends congratulate her on her win.

Then she felt the onerous rush of wind of a large object hurtling towards her full speed. Saw her fist connect with a satisfying _crunch_ against the dick's knee. Her self-preservative action being greeted by a wave of intense booing from the sold-out crowd which seconds ago had been cheering her name.

She soon found herself plunged into a nightmare when Atlesian troops surrounded her. Pointing their guns at her stunned face. Looking towards her team for support only to be greeted by a trio of shocked, horrified eyes-

Pyrrha might've unwittingly pulled the trigger with Penny's death, but it'd been _her_ Yang Xiao Long who primed the pump with a single punch.

She sighed not wanting to leave the small bed. Not caring if her plain black tank top sans her old flame logo and black skintight pants were wrinkled.

 _I wanna go home._

 **TBC...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD FOR 3X11 AND 3X12. MENTIONS OF A MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED FOR THE FINALE TURN BACK NOW! If you don't care either way...then carry on.**

 **Also, the dynamic in this story between Blake and Yang is strictly battle buddies/best friends. You have officially entered the 'Bumblebee Free Zone' folks. The no yaoi/yuri rule in my fics-see profile for more details-applies to fanmade/unofficial queer ships in ANY fandom, so don't hate alright? Everyone's entitled to their preferences and I prefer to keep things on the straighter side. Again, if this isn't your cup of tea that's fine. No skin off my back. Just don't bash in the comments.**

 **With that said, enjoy and don't forget to review! :)**

.

.

 _ **Beacon Academy - 6 months ago**_

 _Fire._

 _Everything was on fire._

 _It was her element, her very Semblance and yet...she should've known better._

 _The brighest lights usually burn out the fastest. Hers was no exception._

 _Fire erupted from her fists, burning through Grimm and anyone who wore a white uniform with a red wolf's head. But for every two she cut down, four more took their place. There seemed to be no end to the evil creatures and Blake was nowhere to be seen-_

 _That had been the uppermost thought in her mind. Find Blake. She trusted Weiss to find Ruby so she circled back towards the school, where she remembered she'd last spoken to the cat faunus. Weiss and her had been on the fairgrounds when the first wave hit so it made sense to look on campus._

 _Yang blasted another faceless Fang drone away with a solid punch, anxiety growing._

 _"Blake! Where are you?!"_

 _Then she heard Blake scream in pain._

 _Saw her lying on the cracked floor in the midst of demolished tables of the burning cafeteria ...amber eyes distended in terror._

 _A monster dressed in black towered over her partner's prone body with a hole in her gut._

 _A red mist descended over Yang's vision and she snapped._

 _"GET AWAY FROM HER!"_

 _The Faunus man sheathed his red blade...funny that color seemed to be everywhere...and turned to face her wrath, a cold expression on his face. She didn't hear her friend's hoarse plea for her to run. That it was a well-laid trap. That the man had stabbed Blake on purpose and was baiting her in._

 _The blond flew into a rage with an intensity she hadn't felt since her stepmother died._

 _"NOOOOOOOO!"_

 _Fire blazed like an inferno as she lauched herself through the air, burning hotter than the sun. Right fist cocked, ready to deliver the killing blow, tears streaming from her eyes-_

 _Then his sword flashed so fast she didn't realize he'd severed her arm until she flew over Blake's head, turning in a weirdly graceful loop-de-loop, blood spraying everywhere._

 _The pain from his strike and the sudden loss of her arm was so intense, Yang blacked out before she hit the floor with a bone-jarring crunch._

 _..._

 **Safe Zone, Vale outskirts - present day**

Yang shuffled across the landing strip to where an airship sat waiting to take her back to Patch. General Ironwood had insisted on accompanying her along with Glynda. Bottles clinked as she'd taken the time to stuff a bag Ironwood gave her to the brim with alcoholic beverages to numb her mind and keep the nightmares at bay. _Dad's probably beside himself. I told him wouldn't be long and it's been over a day. I'd better get back to Patch._

Not like she cared. It wasn't like there was anything important of value that would justify sticking around a ghost town. Too many bad memories lingered and she wanted to be shut of this haunted place.

Only when Glynda finished buckling the ex-huntress in training's crash restraints instead of allowing her to collapse against the bulkhead, did a broken sigh escape her lips.

Everything hurt.

Her arm.

Her mind.

Her heart.

But her spirit had taken the worst hit.

Everyone she loved and cared for had _left her behind._

Again.

Yang closed her lilac eyes. It was work just to get out of bed anymore, let alone make a trip to Vale all by herself. But she needed to do it. Glynda insisted she escort Yang back to her home safely when they landed so Taiyang wouldn't worry.

Right after Ruby departed for Haven with the surviving members of Team JNPR, Yang shut down. Her days after being airlifted from Beacon's shattered courtyard were filled with a heavy emptiness and despair. Depression settled over her broad shoulders like a dark shroud. And no matter what she did, the knife of betrayal when she discovered Blake had disappeared hurt worse than she expected. Her best friend, her sister-in-arms-oops. Make that _arm_ -the one person she thought she could count on to help her through this testing of the soul was gone. In the end, she was no more than a spineless coward who ran from her problems. Unable to cope with the harsh reality that the world was cold and cruel and only the strong survived.

But she should've expected that.

 _Again._ She thought as she leaned her head on the cool metal. _It's happening again. What's wrong with me? Nobody stays. Not my friends, or my mother, or Summer, or my little sister, or my team...hell even Pyrrha left without saying goodbye. She's dead. I wasn't fast enough. Wasn't strong enough. Not a good enough sister to keep Ruby at my side. Everyone keeps leaving, just when I need them the most. So...is that my destiny? To walk alone in this world with no one to love or be loved in return?_

She had a feeling, after Beacon fell and everyone scattered across Remnant, the answer was becoming an increasingly resounding _yes._

Yang shifted as the airship hit a few wind pockets. She welcomed the pain. _I don't deserve to be comfortable. Not ever again. Not when Jaune lost the girl who loved him._

Even though she felt relief at seeing Qrow alive, he left as well. Taiyang had stayed with her until she fell back asleep, tears soaking her face. But not before she gazed out the window and saw a crow perched on a branch in a tree outside her bedroom window.

She'd turned away disgusted. She didn't ask for any of this. She didn't deserve to lose an arm for some scaredy cat bitch. Blake might very well have gone to her death in the wild and right now, Yang could give a damn less. After waking up in her childhood home in her old room back in Patch, she couldn't summon the energy to care what everyone else chose to do with their lives after Beacon fell.

"Don't hesitate to call at anytime, Ms. Xiao Long." Glynda said quietly heart aching as she observed the blond beauty's dimmed inner fire. "I mean it. You've got all of the staff's numbers including the General's private line."

"She's right. You can't hide from the world forever." Ironwood added as gently as he could. "Let me know when you want to rejoin it."

Yang blinked out of her stupor at the two adults voices, catching bits of their sentences like a choppy radio signal.

Patch.

Home.

Her prison.

She hated cages.

The former blond bruiser didn't bother fighting against the depression trying to smother the air out of her lungs. She just wanted to get home, shower, crawl under her covers and pretend she hadn't sent the world to hell in a handbasket and caused the deaths of two dear friends.

 **TBC...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Patch - evening**

A soft layer of snow coated the tiny island of Patch, concealing browned earth and leafless trees with a fresh frosting, concealing the ugliness of fall's leftovers. Yang trudged up the path toward her family's log house, breath misting in the late winter evening. Lost in the recesses of her mind once again as she neared her safe haven, securely tucked away from the monsters and bad guys.

Every night since losing her limb, Yang started to regress into the mindset of a small child who just wanted to escape from the warzone she'd been born into, not the fairytale falsely advertised by storybooks.

Glynda Goodwitch kept a sharp eye on her former student. _Did Taiyang push too hard? She shut down as soon as we entered the city._ Then she briefly closed her light green eyes, wishing with all her teacher's heart she, Opzin, and her peers could've spared the young woman's fiery spirit and sunny optimism-along with the other students-a little longer from the harsh realities of the world.

But such an action was impossible. War and the hard, cold world they lived in forbade it. She might as well have told gravity to turn off. The stern Huntress prayed Yang would snap out of her depressed funk soon. It was like watching Taiyang all over again after the loss of Summer Rose and the unexplained disappearance of his first wife Raven Branwen into darkness' embrace.

And to make matters worse Qrow was nowhere to be found. He'd slipped off not long after Ruby woke out of her coma going to Haven of all places. Yang took her uncle's departure fairly hard. She hadn't been privy to the conversation he had with her younger sister's legendary silver-eyed powers, but she figured he'd rather go with someone who was able-bodied and useful rather than a cripple like her.

So she sunk further into the vicious emotional black hole she'd fallen into when she woke up and found her team fractured and her best friend had bailed when things got too tough.

All too soon both women rounded the corner and Yang's home hove into view.

Hardly had Glynda raised her fist to knock when the thick wooden door burst open and a golden light spilled out onto the front stoop. Revealing a disheveled and worried Taiyang Xiao Long. Upon seeing his daughter and his old instructor the large brawler exhaled in relief.

"Yang sweetheart, thank God! I was worried!" The blond girl stared past her father into the warm interior of her home, eyes glazed from the sights she witnessed back in Vale. Without a word, she pushed past him making a beeline for the bathroom to take a much needed shower.

Trying to ignore the twinge in his chest by Yang's silent rebuff, the elder Xiao Long turned to the taller woman standing on his stoop, flashing her a grateful look.

"Thanks so much for keeping her safe, Glynda. I really appreciate all you've done for us."

Glynda graced him with a tired smile. "Always a pleasure Mr. Xiao Long."

"Would you like to come inside? I've got tea on the stove."

Goodwitch started to shake her head no then stopped. Now was not the time to be picky. The cold winter air nipped her nose, attempting to squeeze the warmth out of everything it touched. It seemed when Ms. Nikos went to her untimely death on the top of the CCT tower the cataclysmic shift that occured there would be felt for years to come. There was a strong possibility the remaining bastions of humanity might not survive the apocalyptic storm waiting to drown the world in the darkest shades of night, even with Ozpin pinning his hopes on the daughter of a woman who'd gone to her death seventeen years ago fighting Salem, an evil, ancient witch who didn't fear the silver-eyed warriors or the Grimm-slaying powers they possessed.

"I'd like that Taiyang. But I can't stay too long. General Ironwood needs me back as soon as possible."

Taiyang exhaled in relief and swung the door open stepping aside to let Goodwitch pass. As soon as the door closed he ushered her to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. The moment she was seated the former brawler of Team STRQ hurried to check on the kettle. Steam issued out of the curved spout indicating it was almost ready.

He rifled through the cupboards and pulled down a few boxes of different flavored tea bags.

"What kind of tea do you want? I've got herbal, vanilla, strawberry, black chai, cinnamon apple spice and jasmine."

Glynda crossed one shapely leg over her knee as she contemplated her choices. They all sounded delicious-except the black chai.

"Cinnamon apple. With extra honey, please."

In no time the blond heartbreaker set a handled cup of honeyed cinnamon apple spice tea in front of his former instructor before he sat down with a cup of his own.

"But in all honesty Taiyang," she said picking up where she left off just a few moments before, looking her former student square in his blue eyes, "You need to sort things out between you and your daughter and soon. She's retreating further into her mind and yesterday's trip into Vale might've made things worse."

He bit his lip and looked down at the smooth grainy surface of the wooden table. Trust Goodwitch to jump right to the heart of the problem. Still didn't make things easier.

"I-I'm just trying to help her Glynda-"

"And I can see that. But think about it Mr. Xiao Long. You made that poor girl return to a place that accident or not, she inadvertantly helped destroy." Glynda pushed her glasses up which had begun to slide down her nose. "Not to mention the bad memories and negative emotions associated with that horrible night. Getting her arm severed off. Ms. Polendina and Ms. Nikos dying in rapid session. Ms. Belladonna leaving without saying a word. Ms. Rose traveling to Haven with what's left of Team JNPR. And Ms. Schnee being collected by her father to return to Atlas, which thanks to Cinder's broadcast might become the next major battleground-"

A loud thump and a harsh curse from down the hall made Taiyang whip his head in the direction of the main bathroom.

"Go tend to your daughter Mr. Xiao Long. She might not say it, but she needs you to be there. She needs to know you're not going to abandon her like everyone else has."

He rushed to the bathroom, knocking hesitantly on the closed door.

"Yang? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Silence greeted his ears.

"I'm here honey. I know that doesn't mean anything to you right now, but I won't leave you behind again. I promise."

As he stood bracing his forehead against the barrier separating him from his eldest child, Taiyang knew merely _saying_ those words wouldn't have much effect on Yang. He needed to back them up with his actions. Somewhere deep in his gut, the man realized he had to face his own failures as an absentee father. Yang was eighteen, a young woman. Mentally checking out for ten years after Summer Rose's early death had taken a brutal toll and then trying to be a parent _now_ only further broke Taiyang's battered heart.

Much to his surprise the knob turned and his little sun dragon peered out through the minimal crack the door created. Dull eyes the same lilac shade as his own stared straight into his soul.

"You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep Dad."

He closed his eyes, unable to look at his daughter's lifeless stare. But then she surprised him.

"But you can help me out of these clothes. I just wanna take a shower, get in my pajamas and go to bed."

Swallowing back a lump the size of a grapefruit the elder Xiao Long nodded, tears filling his blue eyes.

He gently eased open the bathroom door and stepped through, fresh resolve filling him.

 _I'm so tired of running. From reality. From accepting that I lost the two women I loved. For forcing Qrow to raise my girls while I wallowed in grief and depression. For being a horrible parent._

He wanted to apologize to Yang for missing out on her life. But it wouldn't change the hard cold fact that he'd lost that valuable window of meaningful input to Qrow.

No more.

 _It's about time I took responsibility for my family._

 **TBC...**

 **A/N: Dunno if I'm gonna bring Weiss or Blake into the picture for this fic. I really want to focus on Yang's mental state and the fact she's never going to have the same spark she once had. Depression's a lifelong struggle and no one is immune to it. But don't fight it alone. Get help. There's no shame in that. It can save your life and someone else's.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So I've noticed from the season 4 concept art scans Yang has a-SPOILER ALERT-bumblebee on her cargo pants, which has sent the BB shippers all fangirl/boying that 'OMG OUR SHIP HAS BEEN CONFIRMED WITH THAT TINY LIL' PATCH!'**

 **Guys. Please. Do us a favor and cool your jets. Yang had a MOTORCYCLE named Bumblebee. IT ISN'T CANON. And if by the very slim to none chance it might happen, remember the short life span a gay/lesbian pair usually has in a show. Not very high, which means if that part of the fandom gets its wish, one or both of the girls will die. And the denial river still flows about Pyrrha's death even though she's been confirmed dead by Jen Brown and RT MULTIPLE TIMES.**

 **Judging by how depressed/angry Yang looked in the art and trailer, she's not exactly gonna give Blake a warm welcome if she decides to come back and visit. And keep in mind the fact Blake's fairly committed to staying** _ **away**_ **from her friends cause of Adam promising to destroy everyone she's come to care about.**

 **With that said, enjoy and don't forget to review! :)**

 _ **Patch - 5 months ago**_

 _._

 _._

 _"So. You're leaving too."_

 _Qrow paused in the guest bedroom's doorway, regarding his maimed niece with a mixture of pity and resolve in his light crimson eyes. Thankful his brother-in-law was out running an errand in town. Ruby was finally awake but she was still heavily drained from awakening her silver eyed powers. But the elder sister knew it was a matter of time before her sibling wanted to head out and bring Cinder and her associates to justice._

 _To a bitter Yang, this latest development was laughable. It was just a cheap excuse for Ruby to pursue her childish dream of becoming a hero and saving the day. Quite forgetting she was a team leader with responsibilities that came with it. Just because Ozpin and Beacon were gone, it didn't mean her sister had the right to act like a child and drop them like dead weight. Never mind the fact her leaving would split up Team RWBY for God knows how long. They might not come back together for an indefinite period of time._

 _Or it might be never at all._

 _But then again, Ruby didn't exactly play well with others. She was more of a loner anyway, but if she wanted to survive out in the wild, she needed to rely on others whether she liked that or not. No man was an island and she'd have to learn that the hard way._

 _Her sister and what was left of Team JNPR might die out in the wild, never to fufill their delusional quest to avenge Pyrrha's death. And really, the dead didn't care for vengeance. Killing the perpetrator wouldn't change the outcome. If they could kill Cinder in the first place. Pyrrha would still remain dead._

 _Well, she could have it. She was done sticking her neck out and risking her heart only to get it trampled on repeatedly by people who claimed to care for her._

 _Yang pursed her lips, a flicker of her old self rising at the former emotion in her uncle's gaze._

 _"Someone's gotta keep an eye on the pipsqueak, Firecracker. And yer in no shape to be traveling anyway. Not with the 'woe is me' attitude yer luggin' around."_

 _Yang bristled slightly._

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _Qrow's frown deepened._

 _"Ya heard me kid. We're planning on tracking down the bitch responsible for destroying Vale and Beacon along with killing that android girl and Nikos. And I can't be swatting Grimm away just cause one a ya's dead weight and feelin' sorry for herself."_

 _"First of all," Yang hissed an ember of her former fiery self sparking at Qrow's blunt words. "Who gave you the right to play my shrink? To me, you're just another person leaving. Like Raven did. And Blake. And now you're encouraging Ruby to go on some suicide run to Haven on the barest hint of a lead? It could be a dead end for all anyone knows. And besides, you're the worst when it comes to enabling her. I mean it makes sense. You've_ _ **always**_ _favored her anyway, so why should this even surprise me."_

 _"_ _ **What'd**_ _you say?" Qrow's voice was low, a predator's purr. But Yang was beyond caring if she stepped on toes or ruffled feathers._

 _"Oh I'm sorry. Did I hit a sore spot_ _ **Uncle?**_ _" Yang narrowed her lilac orbs at her perpetually drunk relative. "You've failed so many people I've lost count. And don't get me started on Raven. She didn't bother showing her face when the school came under attack-"_

 _"I already told ya the reason why," Qrow snapped, struggling not to go ballistic with Ruby sleeping peacefully in her bedroom. "You used up yer only lifeline on that train. She's not in the habit of bailing out the weak, and I can guarantee ya that's what she views ya as."_

 _Yang bit her lip and turned away, hating the fact Qrow was right. Shame rushed in, smothering the tiny smoldering ember of anger. Up till Beacon fell she'd viewed herself one of the strongest fighters of her class-next to Pyrrha-and she felt untouchable. Invincible even._

 _Until Cinder brought down the hordes of darkness-which included the White Fang-on top of their unsuspecting heads during the final rounds._

 _Yang blew out a leaden breath. "Whatever Qrow. I didn't see you swooping in to save us-"_

 _"That's cause I was ordered by Oz to go fight elsewhere, Firecracker. Professional hunters don't have the luxury of picking and choosing who we want to save." He ran long fingers through his black hair, trying to keep a hold of his fraying temper._

 _She gave him a disbelieving stare that screamed 'you have GOT to be screwing with me'._

 _Qrow tensed under his niece's glare. "Don't gimme that face, Firecracker. You're not invincible. Get that through your head. I get you tried to save your emo friend...ain't nothin' wrong with that...but ya charged in too hot. And look what happened."_

 _Yang bit her lip, which had betrayed her by quivering. Tears pricked the corners of her lilac orbs. She turned to stare out of her bedroom window, unable to hold Qrow's piercing crimson gaze._

 _The older huntsman sighed at the pitiful sight his niece made. She was so much like her old man after Summer's mysterious death it hurt to look at her._

 _"Sorry Firecracker. There's only so much I can do and there's more urgent matters I gotta see to. Besides, Tai's here. He'll take good care of ya sweetheart. Believe me, I had to put my life on hold for a while just so he wouldn't kill himself. But then Oz kept calling me with important missions I couldn't ignore because of yer old man's pity party. I just hope ya don't let this knock ya out of the game forever. This ain't a romantic job and I think you girls learned that lesson the hard way, yeah?"_

 _She shrugged her shoulders not bothering to look at her deceptively keen-eyed relative. Yang heard Qrow sigh and leave her to stew in her depression._

 **Patch - present day**

"Are you sure you don't want me to sleep in the chair honey? I could-"

Yang shook her freshly washed hair, clad in her brown pajamas. Finally back in her bed, where it was safe. Grimm and White Fang-especially that monster Adam Taurus-couldn't touch her here.

Except in her nightmares.

"No. I just wanna be left alone."

Taiyang hovered in the spare bedroom's door. Heart breaking as his daughter turned her face to stare out the window at the snow-laden trees, an all too familiar sight.

Yang sensed her father lingering and spoke without looking at him.

"Dad," she began in the dull monotone she'd adopted since that horrible night. "Stop hovering. You've been gone a lot." He bit his lip at the subtext. What she really meant was his decade-long stint in depression at the fate of his two wives and left her and Ruby to be raised by Qrow. "This...thing between us isn't going to be fixed right away. And I'm not sure if I'm gonna let anyone else get too close to me again." _Not even you,_ she thought. Caring for people was far too painful. Her heart had been stepped on way too many times and her team being split apart-by choice or by force-was the last straw.

"That's fine honey." Taiyang crossed the room, bending over to press a kiss to his daughter's forehead. "Just holler if you need anything."

"Hn."

Tai let himself out at Yang's noncommittal grunt. Heart clenching at watching the female version of himself drown in despair and depression, much like he'd done seventeen years ago when his brother-in-law appeared in his living room clutching Summer Rose's tattered blood-stained white cloak in his hands.

Yang exhaled deep, air heavy and thick in her lungs. Finally alone with her toxic soup of negative, depressed thoughts lilac eyes dull and golden hair limp.

She inclined her head down in order to grasp the strands with her single hand. Lips pursed as she eyed it with a disdain that her old self would've never in a million years even entertained much less allow it to come within a million miles within the realm of possibilities.

Memories rushed over her mental reel at a dizzying speed:

Of Raven abandoning her as a baby and her decade-long search for the truth.

Of graduating Signal and building her now useless Ember Celica.

Of Ruby getting accepted into Beacon two years early.

Of initiation and meeting Blake and the formation of Team RWBY.

Of hanging with Team JNPR and their group study and play sessions.

Of watching Pyrrha's grace and stunning beauty as she single-handedly defeated Team CRDL in combat practice.

Of being poised to sweep the tournament for her team until that bastard Mercury got her disqualified.

Of getting caught by surprise with a White Fang terrorist attack and the Grimm overtaking the school and the CCT collapsing.

Of Penny and Pyrrha _dying in the same night-_

Of her losing her arm for someone she thought was her friend, until Sun informed her Blake had run as soon as their airship touched down in Vale.

Of Ruby discovering she was a silver-eyed warrior and going on a quest with JNR for answers and revenge.

Of Weiss' father taking her back to Atlas under the misguided assumption his daughter would be safe, when Yang sensed it was more than likely the next powder keg ready to explode.

And of her sitting in bed wondering what she'd done to deserve _any_ of this crap.

Carefully Yang swung her legs over the edge of the bed, making sure her feet were securely planted before pushing herself into a standing position.

She'd come to a decision. And she needed an intact set of hands to help.

It was a small step but Yang figured it was better than _nothing._

She shuffled down the hallway towards the den, bare feet thumping slowly over the wooden boards.

"Dad?" Yang called out shocked at how rusty her once boisterous voice sounded. "Hey Dad where ya at?"

"Right here sweetie."

Taiyang appeared in the kitchen door just off the small, yet cozy den wearing a towel over his jeans, clearly in the middle of cooking dinner. Startled at the sight of his eldest child walking around he hurried to see what was wrong.

Yang bit her lip. _Maybe I should go back to my room. He looks busy-_

 _ **No! Don't chicken out now!**_ Her inner voice yelled, nearly inaudible under thick, suffocating dark clouds. _**Even if it's small, you're DOING something instead of mope.**_

"Sweetheart, you okay?" She blinked out of her mini-stupor to find her father gently grasping her shoulders, worried blue eyes peering into her lilac ones. "Talk to me. What's the matter?"

She pointed to her long golden mane, earning a puzzled stare from Taiyang.

"Where's the scissors? This keeps getting in the way. I want you to cut my hair."

Tai gaped at his daughter's blase tone. _Never thought I'd hear her utter those words._ He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"You're sure."

Five minutes later Tai found himself standing behind Yang seated on a stool in the bathroom scissors in hand.

"How short do ya want it honey?"

Yang shugged.

"I'll tell ya when."

 **TBC...**

 **A/N II: I'll probably wrap this fic up in another chapter or two because I've got several other ongoing fics that are demanding more of my time. But in the meantime, there'll def be Vol 4 spoilers ahead for sure so...READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Patch - early summer, present day**

.

.

It was a full month since Yang made the decision to cut her hair. An entire foot and a half of it. Now instead of flowing down to her formerly muscular thighs it hung against her mid-back.

Not like the blond really cared. All that mattered was she wasn't lugging around a heavy weight and it felt good to shed what was left of her old, devil-may-care ( _weakfoolishnaivetrusingidioticstupid_ ) party girl self, who took on the world with a smile and threw herself eagerly into battle, fire flaming from her fists.

Yang began to occupy her free time re-teaching herself basic tasks with her left hand such as brushing her teeth, dressing in a plain orange tank top, cargo pants and a beige jacket with her symbol on the left sleeve-knotting the right one-due to her stump, to balancing a plate of food on her arm. It was slow, painstaking work and she lost her temper quite a bit at the smallest mistakes.

True to his word, Taiyang stuck around and was very patient as he gave her helpful hints. Anything to make life as easy as possible for his maimed daughter's recovery.

One bright, cloudless, late spring day she decided to pull on her clothes and venture outside for the first time since her ordeal. Just take a walk around the property, breathe in the fresh air might do her battered heart and wounded spirit some measure of good.

"Dad! I'm going to be out around the yard!" She called up the stairs to where Tai was in his study doing his annual summer cleaning.

"Alright sweetie. Just be careful. Yell if ya need me."

"Right."

Carefully, Yang braced her stump-hidden underneath her jacket's tied-off sleeve-against the wall. Using a thin metal rod with a flattened end she eased her feet into a pair of simple white shoes, acquired during her stay in a psychiatric unit for several weeks after the battle of Beacon. Due to the intense night terrors and flashbacks, Yang had been unable to sleep until the doctor prescribed a heavy sedative which she accepted eagerly.

She still had a bottle of pills in her possession, though lately she'd taken to drinking a lot more heavily as a means to cope with her new reality. Her right arm was gone. There was always the option of getting a prosthetic but in her dull, near-lifeless mental state Yang flat-out rejected it. Even if-and that was an extremely big _if-_ she wanted one it meant she would have to face the dark reality of her current situation. Reopen old wounds that festered even to this day.

And it wasn't like Atlas was accepting visitors after being publicly humiliated at the Tournament. They'd be on strict military lockdown, monitoring their borders with ceaseless vigilance. Plus it meant she'd have to endure a foreign piece of metal attached to her flesh and blood stump. Learn how to reuse her right arm all over again with rigorous physical therapy. But it wouldn't be the same. Sure it would be functional but on a base level, Yang would never truly accept it, even with all the benefits. So if that meant she never really fought on the front lines again, that was fine.

She was done risking her neck for people who would just end up leaving anyway.

Sighing, Yang walked the short distance to the front door, shoes scuffing over the wooden planks. Outside, birds chirped and blue skies watched over the Xiao Long family cottage, beckoning a very reluctant ex-brawler to step out and enjoy the gorgeous day.

Well maybe not enjoy. Get her excercise in per doctor and therapist orders- _hah!-_ as if they thought wandering aimlessly around the perimeter of her home and a quarter mile down the dirt path that wended towards town would cure the demons chasing her down the murky corridors of her shattered psyche.

Not a chance in hell _that_ was happening.

She trudged across the front lawn towards the woods bordering the property. Today Yang didn't feel like taking her usual walk. There was a stump situated by the side of the house Taiyang used to chop wood for the winter months which she shuffled towards with the gait of someone three times her age.

She slowly sat down on the divoted wood, spreading her legs so she wouldn't topple off. Deadened lilac orbs clouded over as Yang lost herself deep in the corridors of her shattered mind. Summer was half over and fall-once her most favorite season now held nothing but broken dreams and increased nightmares-was fast approaching. And that meant it was almost time to go out into the woods with her father to gather lumber to chop into firewood for the bitter winters Patch was famous for.

It was a task she began teaching herself when the snow melted. Naturally, the elder Xiao Long freaked out and insisted on supervising her until he felt comfortable she wouldn't chop off any more limbs.

Dark images of launching herself through the air, eyes and hair blazing with murderous intent to kill the monster who stabbed her friend- _ex friend Xiao Long...get it right...she abandoned you...bitch_ _ **is**_ _a coward after all...running's second nature to her..._ flashed through her mind forcing the eighteen year old to drop the axe and stagger back. Lilac orbs wide with horror she'd panicked. Caused her to flee back into the house, blind to her dad's worried shouts where she threw herself on the guest room bed and sobbed where Taiyang found her and held her till the desolate teen cried herself to sleep.

Yang sat unmoving on the stump, clenching and unclenching her single remaining hand. Uncaring that not too long ago, she was one of the strongest fighters in Beacon's freshmen class, a star member of Team RWBY one of the school's hottest up-and-coming premiere teams the world had ever seen.

Stopping criminals.

Breaking rules in the name of justice.

Saving the world!

All of that was a distant joke. A sugarcoated mockery that had been shattered to pieces on a clear, starlit sky nearly eight months to the day where countless citizens lost their lives and two dear friends paid the ultimate price. The Grimm invasion and White Fang terrorist attack was a brutal reminder that peace was fragile and easily broken. Things might never return to normal. Even with Ruby making her way to Mistral with JNR, there was no guarantee they would find what they were looking for. And even if they did, they were no longer on their home turf. Their enemies would use Mistral to their advantage, possibly serve as another trigger to further destabilize the world and turn friends and allies against each other.

Which if Yang was being honest, she could really care less. From the time she was small, she never really had much of a childhood to speak of as she was busy sacrificing it on the altar of ensuring Ruby kept hers a bit longer. Thinking about it now, she could see what a detriment that was long-term. Ruby really hadn't been mentally prepared to handle the pressure of watching friends die right in front of her. She wasn't an explosive volcano, but instead chose to stuff all her negative emotions in the tiniest closet she could create and throw the key away. Deliberately ignore the darker elements of human nature and the world at large and paste on a cheery, optimistic attitude to mask the pain and confusion and latent anger festering like an infected sore inside her soul.

Until That Night came, bringing death and destruction, shattering what was left of her sister's innocence and turning her into a mentally unstable mess.

Clench.

Unclench.

Yang absently kept flexing her hand, staring at it like it might hold all the answers that eluded her for most of her young life. She remembered Qrow passing along Raven's callous message that she would no longer go out of her way to save her only child's life again. Recalled her uncle saying her mother let some info slip and since she was no longer bound to the tournament, they could go track the elusive woman down together.

Except the Invasion changed those plans.

Now Qrow was shadowing Ruby's journey to Mistral.

Which meant if she wanted that information, she would have to get up and get it herself.

Clench.

Unclench.

Clench.

Unclench.

 _Don't think about your hand, Yang._

 _Don't think about the person responsible for_ _ **why**_ _you lost it._

 _Don't think about rejoining the war. It's a pointless waste of time and more trouble than it's worth. You got lucky last time, but don't count on Raven or Qrow to keep bailing you out._

 _And as tempting as a prosthetic sounds, stop and think about the events that landed you here._

 _You attacked Mercury unprovoked-_

 _I_ _ **didn't**_ _attack him!_

 _Whatever. It was live-broadcasted ALL OVER Remnant. Including Atlas. Which is controlled by the Schnee Dust Company. Do you really think ANYONE in their RIGHT MIND would give a weaponized prosthetic to someone the entire world perceives to be a monster?_

She knew the answer was no. And it wouldn't have mattered. With the world and its citizens thrown into chaotic disarray after the Fall of Beacon, a wounded ex-brawler with serious anger and abandonment issues wasn't on anyone's priority list.

That was fine.

She didn't need anyone's charity.

Everyone ended up leaving her.

So.

She no longer cared about the world at large.

Caring for people was no longer a favorable option.

She wouldn't fight for anyone or anything but herself from here on out.

Her hand stilled.

Slowly, Yang looked up.

It was so obvious what she had to do next.

She had to get back into fighting shape so she could find answers to nagging questions. Learn more about the world at large and quite honestly, herself.

The lonely path she was planning to tread would show no mercy if she was weak.

So she had to get even stronger.

A rogue's life was dangerous after all. Since her painful fall from grace, the blond no longer gave a damn. Her ex-friend compared her to a monster? The world thought she was dangerous? Very well. Then it was a monster they were going to get.

And Yang had absolutely nothing left to lose.

 **-end**

 **A/N: Hey guys! As much fun as this was to write, I'm gonna end things here with the Vol 4 teaser. I've got a feeling this season's gonna destroy us in more painful ways than Vol 3 did, so I'm mentally bracing myself for some heavy stuff. It's gonna be a wild ride, and I can't wait to see what RT's got in store for us.**

 **Again, thx so much for the kind reviews, likes and faves. They truly make me feel like I've accomplished something and I'm not talking to myself lol.**

 **Volume 4 is finally here! All aboard the hype train! :)**


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